Built in 1998, the Konkan travels from Bombay to Cochin. In the days of empire, the British had considered, and rejected, the idea of running a railway down the Konkan coast - too wild, too hilly, too many rivers. But the Indians thought otherwise.

The 760km route took seven years to build and includes 92 tunnels and 1,998 bridges. Not being a 'heritage route' means it will be spared the mock Agatha Christie motif that blights many great rail journeys. It's a real train for real people - the majority of them Indians.